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October 16, 2011

Magical Playdoh Mix

This isn't really a new idea for us, but rather a variation on our KoolAid Playdoh that I made up as party favors. The mix looks almost totally white in the bag, but add the wet ingredients and the color and scent "magically" appear!!

Basically, I just mixed up the dry ingredients for a batch of KoolAid playdoh, then packaged it up with my own set of directions and the cute little printables I found here. I didn't calculate the actual cost per bag, but it was definitely well under a dollar. Not bad considering it makes a pretty decent-sized amount of dough and the kids have the fun of both making and then playing with the playdoh!

Here's what you need: (for one bag)

1 1/3 cups flour

2 packets of unsweetened KoolAid powder ( I decided to use two packets instead of the one I usually do so the color and scent would be a little more vibrant,noticeable and "magical")

1/4 cup salt

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar (in the spices section)

Here's what to do:

1. Mix up your ingredients in a small bowl. I did mine three at a time, assembly-line style since I was making 24 packages for our party.

2. Put the combined ingredients in a bag. I used a ziploc bag and then tied it with some ribbon. Write up the directions and attach it to the bag.

Here are the directions I wrote up:

Magical
Playdoh Mix!

To
make your playdoh:

Empty
this bag into a large bowl.

Have
an adult help you boil one cup of water and 1 ½ tbsp. of oil.

Are
you ready for the magic?

Carefully
pour the boiling water and oil into the powder.

Did
the color and scent magically appear?

Stir
the mixture with a large spoon until it's mixed and cool enough to
handle, then remove it from the bowl and knead it well until it's
all the way combined.

(If your mixture is a little too wet or sticky, add some extra flour, a little at a time, until it's the right consistency)

Have
fun playing with your new playdoh, then store it in a sealed bag or
container until you want to play with it again.

NOTE: Out of the three batches we mixed up, two turned out perfectly, but one was rather wet and sticky. Not sure why that happened (different bag of flour perhaps?), but we just added some more flour a little at a time until the stickiness went away.

The Magical Playdoh Mix all packaged up!

These both look white, but one is cherry and the other is grape!!

Our favor bags (under $1 each, but pretty darn cute)

I packaged up the playdoh mix with swedish fish and goldfish in the favor bags!

Too cute! I just need to find out what to substitute for cool aid and cream of tartar (I had some in my drawer for ages that a friend from Canada sent me, but I think I threw it out a while ago :-(). thanks for the recipe and instructions, this sure looks like great fun :-).

I love all your great ideas so I had to give you an award, you can see it on my blog at http://chocolatechocolatemorechocolate.blogspot.com/2011/10/liebster-part-2.htmlThanks for all the wonderful posts, my kids love your ideas!

What a great party favor idea! I love this playdoh mix because it smells so good. :) just stopping by from Sunday Scoop link party and I would love to have you link up at my Follow me Friday's!-Robyn from http://tipsfromtheheart.blogspot.com

This is a spectacular idea! Does it smell like real Playdough? There's something about that stuff that I love. Maybe cuz it brings back memories or something. Anyway, love the bright colors you got with your recipe. :-)

Marie, I used the sandwich size ziploc bags. I didn't want to run the risk of the powder spilling out. With the sandwich size they were big enough to seal and then also tie it closed with the ribbon. I just had to squeeze the extra air out first.

Lesley, I'm very much a last minute type of person, so I think I made these up two days before the party. However, I don't see why you couldn't make them up sooner. In fact, we had a couple extra bags that we made into playdough a week or so after the party and they seemed to work fine. :)

Lydia, the color doesn't come off on your hands at all when you play with the dough. However, when you first pour in the water and start mixing it with your hands, a little might come off then. (I've only found it usually just happens a little with the red colors and only when you're first making the playdoh and all the powder hasn't been mixed in yet)

I love this! Made it today and it's a hit! BTW, my last batch was sticky as well (I did 3), and I figured out it's due to the buildup of oil from the first 2 batches left over in the pan that I boiled the water in. I added more flour and voila, it worked beautifully! Thanks so much for sharing.

Lara - how large is the completed play-dough ball amount to? Like a standard size original play-dough container? I'm thinking of relabeling the ton of small empty containers we've accumulated to add to the favor for her birthday party.

I cannot thank you enough!!!I found out late this afternoon that the neighbor I'd having a party for her granddaughter (my daughter plays with her almost every Wednesday) tomorrow morning!!!I have no time, or money, to buy a gift...this is PERFECT!!!!!Thanks again!!!

Oops, sorry, just saw this. The unmixed powder stays fresh for awhile, at least a few weeks and probably much longer. Once it's mixed up, it's good for a while. Just how long depends on how it's sealed, how humid it is, and how clean the hands are playing with it. Several weeks if all conditions are good.

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